Officials from the Federal Government would have met up on Monday with two immigrant mothers who’ve been at the forefront of a hunger strike at a family detention camp in Texas.
According to leading advocates who were closely working with the detained families officials from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office were expected to talk to the mothers about their clam that they and their children were detained at the facility’s medical clinic to punish them for the hunger protest.
According to a Refugee and Immigrant Center 3 women were removed to the medical clinic on Monday, the first day of the hunger strike taking place. From these 2 women were held overnight and their children too were detained with them, most mothers in danger of giving up protection over their children if they participated in the strike.
The hunger strike has drawn attention to the rarely checked portion of the network of facilities run by the government’s Immigration agency, which is a part of the Department of Homeland Security.
More than 40 women were participating, with some women claiming that they were held for as long as 10 months; most of them have begun refusing food in order to protest the lengthy detention of their children. The women stated that they had come to the country to seek refuge and instead they were being treated as delinquents.
ICE officials are investigating the case.
All applicants filing for adjustment of status for immigration purposes are required to take on the Immigration Medical Examination. The details of the examination and details of the applicant are filed in a form called the I-693 form. The I-693 form has to be completed by a USCIS Civil Surgeon – the examination has to establish the fact that the applicant is not inadmissible to the United States on public health grounds.
FILING THE I-693 FORM
Once the Green card or visa applicant appears for the Immigration Medical Exam, takes the physical, mental and other tests including vaccinations the USCIS Civil Surgeon fills up the I-693 form and hands it over to the applicant in a sealed cover. If the envelope is not sealed then the visa applicant should not accept the form. USCIS will return the cover back to the applicant if the cover is found open or in an unsealed condition.
It is the responsibility of the visa applicant to submit the Form I-693 to USCIS; it is not the responsibility of the USCIS Civil Surgeon’s.
The Immigration Medical Exam is not normally required for non-immigrant visas, although a consular officer or immigration officer at the port of entry may request an exam if he or she has reasons to suspect that a risky health condition exists.
According to a recent study by a group supportive of President Obama’s reforms and executive actions the immigration programs if set into motion could mean a hike in wages, by as much as 100$ billion for those who qualify and a $230 billion increase in the country’s GDP in 10 years. The study members calculated the economic benefits of the program, known popularly as DACA and DAPA, under which certain immigrants who were not in the country on a legal basis could get protection from deportation and work permits.
This, the study said, would lead to higher wages and opportunities to find jobs that matched the immigrants’ abilities, greater economic productivity and greater tax revenues. This would in turn, lead to growth that would help to create more than 28,000 jobs in the next decade.
Many states have argued that the executive actions could prove to be a drain on their resources and a huge financial burden.
In order to apply for a Green Card in the United States, another name for lawful permanent residence, an applicant has to go through what is known as the Green Medical Exam. The main reason why USCIS, or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services conduct this examination is to ensure that the applicant is not inadmissible to the United States on grounds of public health.
USCIS appoints special physicians who are experts in the field of conducting the Green Card Medical Exam. They are called USCIS Civil Surgeons, and these doctors or physicians are qualified to perform Green Card Medical Examinations as they receive special and continuous training on issues pertaining to immigration.
If an applicant is applying for a Green Card from within the United States he or she can access the list of qualified surgeons from the website of USCIS. Or alternatively the extremely user-friendly website www.easyIME.com provides a free listing of qualified USCIS Civil Surgeons who can be contacted in and around the applicant’s area. This service is free to the Green Card applicant and comes at no cost.
The applicant needs to bring along a list of the vaccinations already taken, to show to the USCIS Civil Surgeon at the Green Card Medical Exam. If the applicant has had any history of harmful or violent behavior information about this too has to be provided to the USCIS Civil Surgeon.
